GREELEY -- A patent to create a potential treatment for Zika and West Nile viruses is among five innovation awards announced by University of Northern Colorado’s IDEA office.

The inaugural awards recognizing innovation disclosures, intellectual property, and commercialization activities were presented by UNC’s office of Innovation Development and Enterprise Advancement (IDEA), which helps faculty and students get their ideas into the marketplace.

The five awards and recipients are:

Innovator of the Year -- Elysia Clemens for Apprentice, a software application, in both desktop and mobile versions, for managing field-based experiences, such as internships, for students and supervisors.

Patent Award -- Susan Keenan for her and her Colorado State University colleague’s granted patent, “Thioxothiazolindine Inhibitors,” a potential treatment for flavivirus. Flavivirus is a genus of viruses that include West Nile, dengue, tick-borne encephalitis, yellow fever and Zika. Keenan is seeking corporate development partners for the work.

Invention of the Year Award -- Michael Mosher for development of an in-line sensor on brewing vats. The device measures unwanted compounds that spoil flavor as beer is brewing, allowing for adjustments to be made without pulling samples and conducting hands-on analysis other techniques require. Mosher, who also oversees UNC's Brewing Laboratory Science program, is also seeking corporate development partners.

Innovation of the Year Award -- Reid Hayward for his work with UNC’s Cancer Rehabilitation Institute and the creation of the Clinical Cancer Exercise Specialist training program, which will be licensed soon to a United Kingdom company.

Student Innovators of the Year -- Braeden Ayres and Trevor Lovell for “Project Osorhythm,” a music education app designed to effectively teach rhythm concepts and skills. The project won UNC’s first-ever Spark Competition to encourage music innovations and a $1,500 grant.

IDEA also recognized more than 50 innovators who submitted innovation disclosures since IDEA’s Inception in 2014 as well as the [email protected] teams, which have created 13 new programs that have received funding as part of a university initiative.

IDEA, [email protected], and UNC BizHub, an incubator for educational and entrepreneurial services to help build sustainable businesses, are part of UNC’s continued focus on innovation.